


The Betrayal

by booknerd2005202023



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Character Death, F/M, Sad, The Author Regrets Everything, Torture, Violence, fireheart - Freeform, iron coffin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:02:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 6,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24641341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booknerd2005202023/pseuds/booknerd2005202023
Summary: Maeve has captured Aelin and is breaking her spirit.
Relationships: Aedion Ashryver/Lysandra, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | Celaena Sardothien/Rowan Whitethorn, Elide Lochan/Lorcan Salvaterre, Manon Blackbeak/Dorian Havilliard, Rowaelin - Relationship
Comments: 23
Kudos: 39





	1. Living Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovely people! I hope you are finding lockdown okay! This is and alternative ending to when Maeve captures Aelin. More soon! Kudos and comments are appreciated! Enjoy. Xx

Aelin:  
She was in the iron coffin yet again. She could tell that much at least. Fenrys was keeping guard as usual. It was getting really hard to tell what was real. Blood was seeping down her sides, back and face, she was in agony. It had been two days since her last bout with Cairn. It hadn't been particularly bad compared to what he usually did to her. It had been two days, which meant that he was coming back today. Sure enough, Aelin heard the faint footfalls out in the hallway. The locks on the door clicked in turn and the door to her prison was unbolted and pulled open. Light seeped in through the holes in her iron mask, and Cairn’s leering face was left in front of her. He unchained her hands and feet, careless because he knew that even if she managed to get out of his grasp, it would be a matter of seconds before he overpowered her. She limped exhaustedly over to where Cairn was waiting and collapsed onto the table in the middle of the room.  
“Im waiting” Cairn whispered, strolling around to her side and grasping her wrist. With her free hand and a burst of precious energy, she reached up and grabbed a handful of his greasy, black hair and yanked as hard as she could, pulling his head backwards. Fenrys whimpered in concern and warning. Cairn laughed, reaching up and untangling her hand from his hair with ease. She went limp, realising that the only thing she had achieved was more pain for her. Cairn gently placed her hand on the stone table and reached for his hammer. As Aelin glanced to Fenrys, he started blinking frantically. Four blinks in quick succession, over and over again. I am here, i am with you, I am here, i am with you. Cairn brought the hammer down on the back of her hand. Once, she screamed, twice, the bones cracked, three times, the blood started pouring, four times, Aelin passed out.  
When she regained consciousness, She was lying face up on the table, hands and feet chained tightly beside her, her hand was numb and dripping a steady flow of blood onto Cairn’s shoes. She looked up, Cairn smiled in that disgusting way that promised pain that would have her begging for death.  
“Shall we begin?” He raised his hammer once more, and Aelin screamed...


	2. Keep the faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rowan is getting more and more desperate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely people! Welcome to chapter two! These chapters are pretty short so sorry about that but more updates very soon! Enjoy. Xx

Rowan:   
He was desperate. They had been searching for Aelin for over a year, and they had found nothing. Wyrd only knew what Maeve was doing to Aelin. The door to his room opened and Lorcan walked in, Elide close behind.   
“We need to leave here tomorrow. There have been whisperings in the village and we can't afford for anyone to know where we are.”   
Rowan hung his head. “Fine. We’ll move out tomorrow morning. Inform the others and make sure they pack this evening in case anything happens tonight.” The terse words shocked him slightly, but Lorcan only nodded, face solemn. He didn't look any better than Rowan did. They were all thinner and sleep had been a rare luxury these past few weeks, not to mention the fact that they kept having attacks launched on them in the middle of the night.   
Elide touched his arm gently. “We will find her Rowan. We will, keep the faith.”   
Rowan flashed a rare smile at the tiny, sweet woman before him. As the door closed behind them, he ran through all of the dreams he’d had in the past month. All of them had been of Aelin. She had been being tortured, the worst thing was he had no way of knowing if what he was seeing was real. His eyes blurred as he remembered last night’s dream. Aelin had been so thin, so fragile looking. She had tried to fight back, Cairn had broken her hand for it. Rowan trembled slightly. What were they doing to her? His wife, his mate, his carranam, his friend.   
He shook himself and relooked over all of the maps and charts that he had previously been studying, mapping out the route they would take tomorrow. He could only hope that this new village would turn up something, some scrap of information to follow. It had been months with nothing. Every time they went somewhere new he tried to give himself hope, because if he didn't have hope, who would? They had to keep going, for Aelin.


	3. The Decision

Aelin:  
Pain. Unending godsdamned pain. It wouldn't stop, as she lay on the stone table with Cairn above her, too weak to scream. A rib cracked, and still she bore it, her wrist snapped, and still she bore it, he dragged his knife down her calf, and still she bore it. But then he started talking to her, whispering that no one was coming for her, that she was going to spend the rest of her sad, miserable life under Maeve, that no one had ever loved her, and that was when she broke, screaming and crying and pulling at her restrains. The pain was barely noticeable compared to the rage she felt. He was trying to quench every last bit of hope that she had. She would not let him. Fenrys was struggling against the blood oath, snarling and snapping at the air, trying so hard to get to Aelin, but he would never be able to. Eventually he whimpered in pain and slumped against the wall, resuming the four blinks helplessly.   
Minutes blended together in a haze of torture and blood.   
Aelin didn't know how much time had passed, but footsteps sounded in the hallway. Cairn dropped his tools and stepped away from her. Maeve. She stepped into the room and regarded Aelin, smiling in a way that made Aelin shudder, sending fresh bolts of pain through her body.  
Maeve unbound Aelin’s left arm gently, and she was immediately terrified. Maeve held her mutilated hand in hers.   
“Aelin...” she purred “It’s been so long. Your mate is becoming quite desperate. They haven't found anything for months. All my doing of course. Little do they know that tomorrow will be a very eventful day for them” Aelin paled at her tone. “ Tomorrow, your friends are going to come across a piece of information that will eventually lead them to our location. If they get that piece of information, they will all be slaughtered on arrival. If you tell me the location of the keys, i will spare your friends. You need to make your decision.”   
Aelin was terrified. If she spared her friends, then she allowed Maeve the power to take over the whole country, if she killed her friends and kept the Wyrdkeys, they would be useless because she would still be Maeve’s prisoner. But Maeve would not rule.   
“What if i refuse to decide?”  
“Then i will wait for your friends to arrive, torture them for the location of the Wyrdkeys, and once i have them, i will kill them all in front of you. They will know that you let them die. Now. What is your decision?” Maeve turned Aelin’s hand over and pressed down on the broken bones. Aelin moaned, tears springing to her eyes. She writhed, but that only brought another round of agony. She whimpered. “Fine... fine you can... you can have the keys! Just please. Please stop!” Maeve released Aelin’s hand, a predatory grin adorning her face. “Good. Cairn, continue.” Maeve breezed out of the room to the sound of Aelin screaming for her to save her friends. She was alone with Cairn once more.


	4. Capture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovely people! Thank you so much to anyone who reads this! It means so much to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Feel free to leave Kudos and comments! ❤️😍

Rowan:  
He sat up abruptly, despite having been heavily asleep, the loud crash had woken him. He rolled out of bed, grabbing a few daggers and knives from the table across his room. He opened the door silently and crept into the hall. His stomach sank as he checked Elide and Manon’s room. I was empty. Aedion and Lorcan’s room was also empty. The last room was Lysandra and Dorian’s. He pushed open the door tentatively. Empty.   
The feeling of dread in his stomach intensified as he crept down the stairs. Something was wrong, very wrong.  
He reached out to push open the door, but as he did, a hand wrapped around his wrist, and twisted his arm until his knees gave out and he was left with a blade pressed against his throat. Whoever his captor was extremely well trained. Rowan hadn't been able to hear him. The man kicked the dining room door open, and he caught a glimpse of his friends all tied to chairs before he was swarmed by large men. With a jolt, he realised that they all had Maeve’s insignia on their jackets.   
Hands now tied tightly behind his back, he was hauled to his feet, only to be shoved into the room and tied to a chair facing his friends. Elide had tears streaming down her face, and the men guarding Lysandra were leering unpleasantly at her. Lorcan, Dorian and Manon were fighting like hell and Aedion was slumped in his chair, blood dripping down his face. Unconscious. Rowan did his best to get out of the restraints, but the men had clearly had enough of Rowan because one of the men raised a hand with something gold glinting in it and plunged it into his thigh. Rowan tried to yell but found a piece of cloth being wrapped tightly around his mouth. With their captives fully restrained, they untied them from the chairs, and dragged them outside, only to be shoved into what looked like a prison cart. It started moving and dorian kicked him in the shin to get his attention. He furtively glanced around, trying to gauge his surroundings, but he could tell nothing. Dorian and Lorcan had managed to get their gags off and were working on the bonds, Elide was untying Manon as she cursed the men who had done this to hell and back. Aedion was conscious now but too groggy to do anything.   
After what hours of trying to get the doors to the cart open, it stopped, and the bolt slid back. The crack of light that had been previously visible grew and became blinding. They were all grabbed roughly and yanked from the box. As their eyes adjusted, a fae form became visible. Blinking, Rowan realised that their captors were indeed working for Maeve. They were in a rectangular room, with a throne at the end for Maeve, and two doors, one from which they had just come, and one on their left. Elide was shrinking into Lorcan’s side. She would be absolutely terrified.   
“Rowan Whitethorn. I believe i have something of yours...”   
Aelin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come follow me on Tumblr @bookworm232020 and instagram @introvertbooklover23


	5. Surprise

Aelin:  
Aelin was exhausted. After her ordeal with Cairn and Maeve yesterday, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about the choice she had made. Had it been the right one? She had saved her friend’s lives, but would they ever be able to dethrone Maeve once she had the keys? She would be practically immortal. Her spiralling thoughts were interrupted by footsteps once more making their way down the corridor towards her. Was it Maeve coming to find out the location of the Wyrdkeys? The door of the iron coffin opened, and two guards that she had never seen before started to detach her chains. Aelin glanced over to Fenrys, trying to discern whether he knew what was happening. Fenrys’ looked confused and worried. Cairn hadn't bothered to heal her wounds from yesterday. Her hand was completely mangled, and she had broken several bones, along with getting herself some knife wounds and whip marks.  
The guards pulled her roughly out of the Iron prison, Aelin held back a scream as several gashes reopened, and started weeping blood. As she was led out of the room that had been her home for the last gods knew how long, Aelin realised that they were not going towards Maeve’s throne room. That was the only place she had ever been apart from her prison. Aelin was terrified. Asking the men who led her had proven to be pointless. They remained stone-faced. With Fenrys behind her, she felt slightly better, knowing she had at least one person who would witness whatever was about to happen to her.  
They halted before a large stone door, and the guard knocked. A voice laced with poison called enter. A blindfold was pulled over her eyes and she was dragged forward again. As she was forced to her knees, she heard a muffled yell from the back of the room, and ice flowed through her veins. She fought like a bitch, snarling and pulling, but the blindfold ensured that she wouldn't get anywhere.  
“You honestly thought i was going to let your friends go free? You are much more naïve than i would have guessed.” Maeve's cold hand caressed her cheek as she lifted the blindfold. “Surprise.”


	6. A moment of peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! My computer broke so haven't been able to write for a bit but i managed to complete the next chapter. It didn't flow amazingly, and was pretty disrupted so sorry if its not great! Hoping to get another chapter out soon! I really enjoy hearing from you guys and your comments always make me smile so thank you! Enjoy...

Rowan:   
She looked awful, kneeling in front of that monster, resigned to the fact that she was powerless. The mere sight of his beautiful, strong, fiery queen so helpless nearly broke Rowan. A single tear rolled down his cheek at the horror on his wife’s face as she was faced with her court, her Cadre, and her friends. His eyes locked with Aelin’s, and she jolted, but Maeve reached forward, taking Aelin’s hand in hers, and pressed down. A scream tore from her throat. Rowan was confused until he looked down at her and saw the blood and glimpses of bone from her ruined hand. Shit. Rowan finally let the barriers fall. He yelled, sobbing and struggling, trying so hard to reach his Fireheart. The guards tried to restrain him, but Maeve intervened.   
“Let him go to her.”   
The guards untied his hands, and he scrambled across the floor, catching his wife as she crumpled into his arms, He stroked her matted hair, whispering fervently. Aelin shook. She was stick thin, her cheeks sunken in, her eyes had dark purple circles under them and there were few areas of her body that weren’t soaked in what looked like day old blood.   
Aelin clawed at his neck, sobbing and squirming, seemingly wanting as much contact with him as possible. Rowan glanced up at Maeve with an expression that would have sent any other fae sprinting in the opposite direction.   
“You. You are a monster. You...” Rowan’s voice cracked, and he looked down at his Fireheart, reduced to the mere embers of what she had been. Maeve strolled towards them, and Aelin discreetly leaned into him, pushing him backwards slightly, as if trying to protect him. Aelin’s face was pure loathing as she regarded the woman before her. If Maeve could even be regarded as that. Rowan’s mind was racing, trying to formulate a plan to get them away from Maeve. Behind him, Rowan heard the sounds of a struggle, and looked behind him, surprised to see that it had been Lorcan who was fighting, trying to get to Aelin, but one of the guards now had his knee pressed into his back, and a trickle of blood ran down his chin from a split lip. Elide whimpered, and pulled halfheartedly at her restraints, but she clearly knew that fighting wasn't going to help them right now. Maeve crossed the final few paces to Rowan and Aelin, and grabbed her arm. Rowan started to panic, clutching Aelin to his chest as Maeve tried to take her away. His mate. His queen. His wife. No. Not again. Aelin kicked and spat and cursed at her captor as Rowan clung desperately to her. Maeve sighed and released Aelin, but immediately strode over to one of the doors, and pulled it open to reveal a figure who had graced Rowan's nightmares for months. Cairn.


	7. Uprising

Aelin:

She was terrified, she had been so confused when she had been brought out of her prison, and then she had been in Rowan’s arms, after all that she had been through, and all of her friends were there, but then Cairn had walked through that doorway, and all of the memories came flooding back. Her breathing quickened, as she shoved herself off of Rowan’s lap, pushing him back towards the others, and she scrambled towards the far wall. She looked over at her friends, kneeling before the bitch who had taken everything from her. She caught Lysandra’s eyes, and her friend stared at her with an expression of pure heartbreak on her face. Cairn’s face twisted into a sickening smile as he turned, aiming not for Aelin, but for Elide. Aelin’s stomach dropped as she realised what was happening. A snarl soured behind her as Fenrys caught on. Elide was being dragged along the floor, trying to get her feet under her. They reached the dais where Maeve's throne was placed, and Cairn pushed her to her knees. Cairn pulled a dagger from a sheath strapped to his thigh, and grabbed Elide’s forearm, dragging the blade across her arm in twisting patterns. Elide’s cries echoed across the room, and Lorcan snarled. Maeve spoke in a voice soft as a summer breeze, but with an edge as sharp as a razor-blade. “Aelin. You are going to tell me the location of the Wyrdkeys.” This sentence was punctuated with moans from Elide, and snarls from Lorcan and Manon. Aelin looked from Maeve, to her friends and back, trying to find a way out of the situation. Her decision was made when Cairn plunged the dagger into Elide’s side, and she crumpled to the floor, with a cry of agony. She leapt to her feet, wincing at the pain from her still unhealed wounds, and launched herself across the room towards Maeve. Before she knew what she was doing, she had her weak, skeletal hands around Maeve’s throat, and she was choking her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the little twist with Elide! Kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated.


	8. Brothers in Arms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovely people! Really hope you're liking this fic. If anyone has any suggestions or feedback then i would love to hear it so please do comment! Enjoy!!

Rowan: 

As soon as he saw what Aelin was doing, he leapt into action, finally freeing his hands and decking the nearest guard with a right-hook to the jaw. Around him, Manon and Lorcan did the same, both sprinting for Elide and putting several guards on the marble floor. Maeve screamed orders across the pandemonium and chaos that had broken out. Snatching up a dropped sword, he whirled, slicing and jabbing until there was blood pooling around his boots. He ran over to Lysandra, Dorian and Aedion, slicing through their bonds with a single motion and throwing a weapon to each of them. Having ensured that they had the means to fight, he scanned the room for Aelin, and found her straddling Maeve, hands around her throat. He cut a path to her and put his blade through Maeve’s abdomen, heaving Aelin off of her and pushing her against the wall, pinning her with a quick passionate kiss that was really inappropriate considering their circumstances but he looped one hand around her waist, and hooked the other behind her knees, picking her up and, with Aelin safely tucked against his chest, he stabbed his way through the crowd to Lorcan, who had Elide slumped on the floor behind him as he faced an onslaught of guards that only seemed to keep coming. Rowan dropped Aelin next to Elide unceremoniously and turned to fight with his brother and friend.   
They worked silently, but perfectly in sync, whirling and slicing without ever stepping into each other’s paths. As he spun to attack someone to his left, he caught a glimpse of two of Maeve’s workers who had somehow managed to get behind him. They were kneeling in front of an unconscious Aelin and an Elide who was too weak to move. Rowan saw the needles that they’d managed to get into their arms, and a red mist descended on his vision. He dropped his sword and kicked out with a force that surprised even him. One of the evil bastards was flung across the room, and the other foolishly aimed a punch to the gut. Rowan dodged with a lithe step, and caught his fist on the next swing. Snapping the bone with barely a thought. The guard dropped, and Rowan grabbed Lorcan to draw his attention to the women slumped on the floor. The men had injected them with something. Rowan’s mind raced, thinking of all of the poisons and potions that they could have been given. The first thing that sprung to mind was a deadly poison named Ricin. It had magical effects as well as simple plants that would kill humans. Rowan’s heartbeat quickened. He shook Aelin, desperate beyond measure to find out what the liquid was. Aelin slowly opened her eyes, and giggled in a high pitched, very un-aelin like manner. Rowan glimpsed at the needle mark in her arm to confirm his suspicions, and sighed in relief. “It’s just a temporary paralytic! They can’t move and they’re going to be high as kites for a while, but they'll be fine.”   
Lorcan bowed his head in acknowledgement and gratitude before returning to the fight.   
Rowan heard yells from the other side of the room. Moments later, Manon came into view. Iron claws dripping with blood and a gash down her thigh.   
“They’ve found an exit! We have to move, Now!”   
Rowan called to Lorcan, and with Aelin slung over his shoulder, shoved through the crowd to find the way out of this shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this one! I'm at 400 hits so i just wanted to say thank you all so much! This is only my 4th Fanfiction and im very new to this so it really means a lot! Working on the next chapter Xx


	9. Paralyzed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter...Enjoy and thank you so much for reading!

Aelin: 

Her vision was cloudy as fuck from the paralytic solution that she’d been given, but she could make out shapes and noises now and she had stopped finding everything quite so hilarious, so that was a plus. From what she could tell, Rowan was running somewhere whilst carrying her. There were other figures around them, but they were too blurry to make out. She could hear yells and screams of people around her, and she felt a dread curl in the pit of her stomach. Were those the yells of her friends?   
The tips of her fingers started to tingle. The drugs she’s been given must be wearing off finally. She felt Rowan stop, breathing laboured. They were further away from the shouting now. Rowan’s misty figure crouched in front of her, and he whispered to her “How are you doing Fireheart? It’s going to be okay, we will get through this. You're going to be free.” Aelin shuddered at those words and pressed herself into Rowan, needing a physical connection with him, just to know that this was real, and not one of Maeve’s stupid manipulations.   
Aelin’s vision was pretty clear now, and she could clumsily move her arms and legs. She could also hear the tones of concern and abject terror in their voices, and she knew that they needed to keep moving. “Rowan, help me up.” Rowan obliged, and she started down the gloomy corridor, leaning on her husband’s arm, still not completely able to rely on her senses. Her friends followed behind her, but she didn't feel like a leader. She felt like a scared, paranoid girl, and she was in so much pain. She lightly shook her head, making the world spin, and pushed all her emotions down inside of her. She needed to focus. Rowan kept a steady hand on her waist, as they stumbled down the corridor, desperately trying to find something that would lead them out of the hell-hole that they were currently trapped in. Aelin didn't know the layout of this place, but she could tell that they were getting closer because there was natural light seeping down the corridors. Gods it had been so long.


	10. The Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! Kudos and comments make my day!

Rowan: 

As they moved through the corridors, up and up, towards the light that Aelin hadn't seen in over a year, something felt off. It was too quiet. The sounds of pursuit had been replaced with an eerie silence that set all of Rowan’s alarms blaring. He ignored them, focusing on their task. As they rounded another corner, Lysandra and Aedion flanking them with the others behind, they encountered the reason that Rowan had been worried. Maeve had half of her army lined up in front of two double doors, armed to the teeth with shields, swords and daggers. Upon noticing the group, they stood in a defensive formation, shields up and swords at the ready. There was no other option, they were going to have to fight their way out, and it wasn't going to be pretty. He looked to Aelin, trying to figure out what he should do. Their eyes met, and Aelin pushed herself gently away from him holding her hand out. She wanted to fight. “Aelin. Fireheart. You're too weak to fight.” Aelin’s eyes flared, and although she said nothing, he could tell that he had said the wrong thing. She continued to hold her hand out towards him, brow furrowed. She wasn't going to back down. He pulled his lightest sword out of its sheath and flipped it so that he was holding the blade, and the hilt was towards her. She grasped it with skeletal fingers. A small smile graced her lips through the hole in the iron mask she still wore. “Stay near me. Promise me you'll stay near me.” She nodded, the movement barely perceivable. He turned back to the crowd of monsters that had made the last year of his life a living hell, he thought of what they had done to Aelin, and he felt a killing calm settle over him. He motioned to his friends behind him, and they surged forward in a wave, they collided with the rest of the soldiers, and he immediately lost sight of his friends. They were massively outnumbered. As he sliced and ducked, he tried not to picture his friends dying.   
These soldiers were well trained. They pushed him back, away from the doors, towards the corridor they had come from and the stairs behind it. If he let them push him into the corridor, he wouldn't have enough room to swing his sword. He tried to cut his way out of the band of soldiers encircling him, but they blocked all of his blows as if he were a programmed robot that was far too easy to predict. As he got closer and closer to the entrance of the corridor, he started to panic. They pushed him backwards, further and further until he was in the mouth of the corridor, instead of swinging his sword in the controlled traditional way that he had been taught, he was forced to jab and hit. As they forced him backwards, the panic intensified, and he took another step backwards, but this time there was only open air where the floor should have been. He jolted backwards and he felt his stomach leap into his throat. He reached forwards to grab onto something but found only a blast of freezing wind pushing him further over the edge. As he fell, the soldiers above him turned and ran back to the fight. He hit the floor, and pain exploded in his lower back just as he lost consciousness.


	11. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovely readers! Thankyou for being so patient with me! This chapter is a short one and took way longer than expected so sorry about that!  
> If anyone wants to leave plot suggestions then please do!  
> Comments and Kudos make my day!  
> Thankyou everyone so much for reading Xx

Aelin:

She was tiring way too fast. Her emaciated, broken body could barely swing the sword she held, let alone use it to properly fight with. She reached for her magic, but the iron around her smothered it. She could feel exhaustion and agony weighing down on her, urging her to give up, and the sword became harder and harder to lift. She felt the weight of the last year crash down on her at once. It was as if the dam she had built to contain everything had shattered, and now she was drowning. Her body had stopped obeying her brain. Her knees jolted and she sunk to the floor, the men she had been fighting stood over her. Her eyes drooped. She wasn't ready to give in. But she was too broken. She couldn't take any more. One of the guards raised his sword. Aelin blinked, staring the man who would kill her right in the eyes, and as she did, a silvery point was thrust through his throat. She shuddered at the blood that almost immediately started flowing from the severed arteries in his neck. He crumpled to the floor, and she stared up at Manon Blackbeak.  
The Crochan Queen lowered a hand to her, and Aelin took it gratefully, her head spinning as her injuries and malnourishment once again reminded her of how difficult this was going to be.  
As she glanced around her, she saw that there were only fifty or so guards left between them and the door. She reached for the dagger she had hidden in her boot, But Manon’s hand wrapped gently but firmly around her wrist. “Hell no are you doing any more fighting. Rest. We will get you out of here...” Oh how she wanted to believe those words.


	12. Rowan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Sorry i know its been a while but i am working on a new chapter so give it a couple of days and you'll have the next one!

Rowan: 

As he came to, he began to register the excruciating pain from his body. He tried to take a mental note of what he could move, what felt broken, and what didn't have any feeling, but he knew that the real problem was his pelvis. He pulled up the top half of his fighting leathers, and inhaled sharply at the sight of the purple bruising that decorated his midriff. He was bleeding internally, and it was clearly bad. He applied light, but nonetheless agonising pressure to the area, and tried to move as little as possible, that was his only chance of survival. He needed Aelin. He gathered his magic, and pushed a blast of air down under him. His body was levitated up a few inches, and he felt hope bloom inside him. He strengthened the air current, pushing himself up towards the ledge that he had fallen off. His magic faltered, and he dropped, before jerkily shoving his magic into the floor and sending bolts of white-hot pain through his battered body. He moaned slightly, as the black spots once again clouded his vision and he tried not to pass out. He had to make it to the ledge. He summoned a massive burst of magic, and threw himself upwards, his yells drowned out by the air rushing past his ears. He passed the ledge, and cut off his magic, falling ten feet onto the concrete ledge. This time he screamed in earnest, agony taking over his body. He lay there for minutes, fighting the black spots that covered most of his vision, but e refused his body what it so desperately wanted, rest, and he pushed himself onto his elbows and started to pull himself towards the opening of the corridor. The pain was debilitating. Rowan felt something crack in his pelvis, and he stopped moving. He wasn't going to make it. He rolled over onto his back and closed his eyes. He needed to do something for his wife. He summoned all of his magic from the well in the pit of his stomach, and he began to feed it down the Carranam bond. This was his final act of love for Aelin. To get her out of here when he would not be able to go with her. As his magic diminished, yells from the end of the corridor became screams of terror. It had worked. He became drowsy. “To whatever end Fireheart.” Was his last thought as the bonds between him and Aelin snapped, the void closed around him and he faded into nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hope you enjoyed this one! Feel free to leave comments telling me ideas and what i can improve on because i love hearing from you guys! Xx


	13. Freeze

Aelin:

The power surged through her, but it was not the familiar flames that burst from her, it was frigid wind, mixed with shards of ice that stung her arms as the flew past her. This was Rowan’s power. The shock of the unfamiliar energy flowing through her was so powerful that it made her whole body vibrate and tingle. This was going on for too long. She couldn't understand why Rowan was giving her so much of his power. As seconds went by, the amount of power started to lessen, enough so that she could she through the shards of ice swirling around her to the destruction she had caused. Her breath hitched. This. Wasn't. Possible.  
The armour clad soldiers that they had been fighting stood frozen in their places, encased in shells of ice. She took it all in, the sheer amount of power that had been used to create the scene before her. She caught a flicker of something in her peripheral vision, and whirled, just in time to see Dorian, standing in front of the rest of her friends, arms outstretched and face tense with the strain of the wind shield he was holding around them. As he registered that the magic storm had stopped, he dropped the shield, and slumped to the floor, still conscious but exhausted, and stared at her in awe and something that looked a little too much like fear. Aelin stepped forward, the thrum of power still in her lending her strength. “What the fuck was that.” Lysandra breathed. Aelin’s face fell as she remembered. “Rowan.” She scanned her friends faces, and upon seeing that he wasn't there, stumbled back towards the corridor that they had come from. With her friends behind her, she rounded the corner. And froze. No. Not after all this time waiting for him. But Rowan’s body was cold and lifeless, and he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thankyou all so much for reading!!! Next chapter is going to be from Dorian's point of view so im excited for that one! Thankyou guys so much for all your support and lovely comments!


	14. Fighter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovely people! Sorry its been a while! Hope you enjoy this chapter from Dorian's perspective! Kudos and comments make my day!

Dorian:

He stood behind Aelin. She sat there, not moving or speaking. He knelt down beside her and put his arms around her, and that was when she started crying, terrible, uncontrollable sobs that echoed around the chamber. She said her mate’s name over and over again. Dorian nearly broke down at the sight of his friend like this. So destroyed, and after all that she had been through, the thing she loved most had been taken away from her as well. He turned his head to see Lorcan, Aedion, Elide, and Lysandra on one knee, heads bowed and tears running down their faces. Manon remained standing, but with her head bowed and a deep sadness in her eyes. He reached out for her hand, and she gave it a quick squeeze before releasing him and moving to comfort Elide.   
Dorian cradled the shuddering queen to his chest, whispering pointless comforts into her ear as her world burned. He knew that they would do nothing to ease the pain of what she had lost, but she needed him, and so they sat for a long while, until her sobs had become silent shaking, and Aelin looked up at him, the agony in her eyes clear, and whispered to him “Why? Why did this happen. I can't do this anymore.” There were tears in Dorian’s eyes as he turned her to face her friends. He bent his head and said “ You can. For Us. For all the people he left behind. For your kingdom. To show Maeve that she doesn't rule you.” He turned her slightly so that she could see the faces of her friends behind her, the faces longing for someone to lead them, to tell them what to do.  
She looked up at him, and he could see the change in her eyes. She was still broken, and always would be, but there was a fire in her expression that her hadn't seen before. He kew she would fight for her kingdom, and the day she let them down would be the day that hell froze over. She once again leant her head against him, and wrapped her hands around his back for mere seconds before crawling forwards and whispering in her Mate’s ear.   
Minutes later, she sat back on her heels and pushed herself to her feet. She turned to face them, and her red, puffy, tear-stained face was filled with determination. This was a woman he respected more than anything, for her courage, and her willing to continue. She was the Queen of Terrasen, and she would not back down.


	15. Defeat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I just wanted to apologise for the wait for this next chapter! My mental-health hasn't been great and i had no inspiration or motivation but Im back! I promise that the next chapter will be posted soon and i just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reads this and comes on this journey with me. 🥰  
> Thankyou for all your support. Enjoy...

Aelin:

What she was feeling was indescribable. It was a near-fatal mix of pain, fear, rage and emptiness, but she knew that she would hide it, push it down so that they could get out alive. She got to her feet, and the blood rushed to her head, she swayed, holding her head, Aedion grabbed her elbow, steadying her. As the pain in her head and various other parts of her body gradually faded to a more bearable throb, she started walking, very slowly, towards the room at the end of the corridor. Aedion at her side, she and her court continued on. As they emerged into sunlight, she was once again faced with Maeve. She narrowed her eyes through the slits in her iron mask. There was only one thing between her court and freedom, it just so happened that the thing blocking them was currently one of the most powerful fae in history.  
“You and your friends managed to destroy my entire army, i am more than impressed.”   
Aelin's eyes widened. Maeve had far fewer men than she made out. At least now it was seven on one. Or rather eight on one, Maeve was still talking, but Aelin’s pain meant she could only focus on one thing at a time, and right now she was focused on the large male wolf stalking silently behind her, a look of grim determination on his face. She wasn't going to stop him. He deserved this.   
Aelin dragged her focus back to Maeve with a conscious effort, and watched her mouth move. Her sense of hearing was replaced with a tinny ringing sound that only she could hear. Fenrys launched himself at Maeve's back, sinking his inches long fangs into her shoulder. Maeve's mouth formed an ‘o’ of surprise before morphing into one of utter pain. The blood seeping down Maeve’s front was the last thing Aelin saw before the darkness came and swept her into its blissful arms.


	16. Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter!!!! I can't believe how quickly its gone! I hope you enjoy this!

Aelin: 

Consciousness slammed into her with all the force of an eighty ton truck. As her vision swum in and out, she tried to focus on what was happening in front of her.  
She found it nearly impossible to home in on more than one sense at a time, and yet she somehow managed to get her body to hear, see and smell all at once. The first thing she noticed was the piercing screams of Maeve as Fenrys finally got revenge for all the pain he had been put through at her hands. It would never be enough to erase the past, but at least it means he could set his brother to rest properly. Next was the grimly satisfied faces of her companions and the strong tang of fae blood. Aelin’s body was broken. Likely beyond repair, and yet she still managed a smile as the screams cut off, and Fenrys fell to the floor, blood-oath broken, but this pain would be much less compared to if Maeve had broken the bond herself.  
Lysandra pulled herself out of Aedion’s arms, and walked over to Aelin, grabbing her by the waist and facing her towards the doors that lead out of her prison. She reached it, and with a stick-thin, emaciated arm, she tried to haul back the deadbolt. Seeing her struggle, Aedion wrapped her tiny hand in his, and lent her the strength she needed. The door swung open, and for the first time since Maeve had trapped her in the iron coffin, she saw sunlight.  
It filtered through the holes in her mask, bathing parts of her face in warmth. She reached up, tugging at the mask, becoming more distressed as she realised that she didn't know how to get it off. Lorcan ran over, pushing her hands down and replacing them with his. His sinewy arms strained, and the last of her prison fell away.  
She walked forward, her friends beside her. Rowan’s death would always be a reminder of the things she had been through, but she was alive, and she walked forwards from that place with a small smile adorning her lips. She was free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovely people! Thankyou all so much for reading this fic! This last chapter was amazing to write and all your comments and Kudos have really made it worth it! If anyone has any ideas for a new fic then i would love to hear them! I hope you enjoyed coming on this journey with me. Xx


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